White City

The White City encapsulates the history of international modern architecture. Influenced by the Bauhaus, Le Corbusier, and Erich Mendelsohn, architects who fled Europe in the 1930s created an architectural idiom to address climatic, regional, and traditional building issues. The construction boom that they led shaped the identity of the emerging city of Tel Aviv. Although one thousand buildings in the historic center have been designated for preservation, neglect and lack of knowledge of restoration techniques have prevented appropriate maintenance. Plans for the revitalization of the city would allow stories to be added to the buildings, even those designated for preservation. The result would utterly destroy the architects' minimalist language. World Monuments Watch listing in 1996 helped support the efforts of preservationists to document key examples of 20th-century architecture in Tel Aviv and raise public awareness regarding their very urgent conservation needs. Since Watch listing, many buildings have been restored and an archive was established to catalog preservation efforts. In 2003, the White City was designated a World Heritage Site. More on Modernism at Risk.